Philadelphia Phillies: 5 things to know about new manager Gabe Kapler

Roughly a month after announcing that Pete Mackanin would be reassigned to the front office, the Philadelphia Phillies have determined his successor. According to a report by Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports, the Phillies settled on Los Angeles Dodgers director of player development Gabe Kapler over the weekend and will announce the decision officially in the coming days, likely when the World Series is over.

Kapler was chosen over two other finalists: Dusty Wathan, manager of the team’s Triple-A affiliate at Lehigh Valley, and former Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell. He will be the first manager hired that has had no prior connection to the team since Terry Francona in 1996. He’ll also be the team’s youngest manager since Francona took over.

The Phils have dropped the beginnings of an intriguing core into place in the past year. The decision to move on from Mackanin—who was in place mostly to bring youngsters like Rhys Hoskins, Aaron Nola, and Nick Williams along from the minors—most likely has its genesis in the desire to bring that core to the next level.

So what do we know about the Phillies’ new manager? Here are five facts about Gabe Kapler.